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Selection Process in HRM: Steps, Process and Factors

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Everything you need to learn about the selection process in HRM. Selection procedure screens candidates according to a progressive se­ries of steps designed to eliminate those who in some ways are unsuit­able.

It is often described as a negative process, since more candidates may be turned down than hired. Selection involves the matching of qualities of a candidate with the requirements of job description.

In this article we will discuss about the steps involved in selection process. Learn about:- 1. Validity and Reliability in Selection Process 2. 8 Steps in Selection Process 3. Steps and Factors Affecting Selection Process in HRM.

“A selection system is a set of successful ‘screens’, through any of which an applicant may be dropped from further consider­ation”. There are various steps involved in the selection system and a decision to drop the applicant may be made at any stage. Employment offers are made to applicants surviving all these steps successfully. The procedure adopted in selecting candidates may differ from organization to organization and within the organization. Also it may differ based on the type of job. Nevertheless, there is a common selection process followed by many companies.

Learn about Selection Process in HRM: Steps, Process and Factors

Selection procedure screens candidates according to a progressive se­ries of steps designed to eliminate those who in some ways are unsuit­able. It is often described as a negative process, since more candidates may be turned down than hired. Selection involves the matching of qualities of a candidate with the requirements of job description.

Selection systems for various job profiles can range from simple one-step system, consisting of nothing more than an informal personal interview, to a complex multiple-step system incorporating diverse mechanism designed to gather information about applicants for various jobs.

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“A selection system is a set of successful ‘screens’, through any of which an applicant may be dropped from further consider­ation”. There are various steps involved in the selection system and a decision to drop the applicant may be made at any stage. Employment offers are made to applicants surviving all these steps successfully.

There is no standard procedure adopted by all organizations.

However, the process is explained as under:

Process # 1. Preliminary Interview:

It often takes place at the reception counter of the organization. It is quite brief and is held to eliminate the obviously unfit or unsuitable candidates, for example those requesting excessive salary, possess­ing inadequate education, or lacking the ability to speak coherently. Its purpose is to determine whether the candidate possesses the mini­mum qualifications, and whether it is worthwhile for the candidate to fill in an application form. It saves time and cost both of the organisation and the candidate.

Process # 2. Formal Application Form:

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The formal application form serves as a central record for all the perti­nent information collected during a selection process. It is a brief writ­ten resume of the candidate showing his name, age, address, educa­tion, interests, experience etc. It provides basic information about the prospective employee, which is helpful at the time of interview.

The application form is generally expected to be filled in by the applicant personally. The usefulness of application form is dependent largely on the accuracy of the data furnished by the applicant.

Process # 3. Checking References:

Reference checks should be done prior to interviewing a candidate so that the interviewer has correct information during his discus­sions with the prospective employees. There is a considerable amount of controversy concerning the value of checking references. One view is that the referee may not give an unbiased and frank opinion and may mention only the positive qualities of the candidates.

Others believe that if references are checked in the correct manner, a great deal can be learnt about the person that an interview or test cannot elicit. Generally, three types of references are checked in selection pro­cess – those relating to character, work experience, or school or college life.

Following people make excellent sources for reference checks:

i. Present or former employers

ii. Reputable well-known citizens

iii. Mutual acquaintances

iv. Professors and Principals

Process # 4. Employment Tests:

Selection is the process by which either a candidate is offered employ­ment or is rejected. An employment test is an instrument designed to measure the selected psychological factors in order to help manage­ment select the appropriate candidates. The basic purpose of psycho­logical testing is to provide a device for measuring quantitatively a typi­cal sample of mental performance, in order to predict what an indi­vidual will do, under certain circumstances.

Various types of tests are conducted, such as:

i. Intelligence Test:

It is defined as measurement of mental ability quantitatively. This test generally includes word fluency, memory, reasoning ability, power of understanding, etc.

ii. Aptitude Test:

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Aptitude refers to characteristics or abilities relat­ing to his/her capacity to develop proficiency on specific jobs. Aptitude test is used to measure an individual’s potential for development or learning on the job.

iii. Interest Test:

This test is an inventory of likes and dislikes of people in relation to occupations, hobbies and recreational activities. This test measures the basic interest of the person and tries to match it with the required job in order to find out whether the person is fit for the job or not.

iv. Personality Test:

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This test proposes to discover an individual’s value system, his emotional maturity, relational moods, and his intuitiveness. It helps in weeding out candidates who may not be able to get along with other people.

v. Achievement Test:

This test seeks to determine how much indi­viduals know about a subject. It tries to identify as to what a per­son has accomplished.

These tests help to measure various types of qualities and abilities of the candidates. Their use would depend upon the nature of post to be filled up and the company’s policy in that regard. But excessive reli­ance on such tests may lead to overlooking more suitable candidates, who may not have performed well at these tests.

Guidelines for Conducting Effective Tests:

In order to avoid the problem of rejecting an otherwise suitable candi­date through tests, it is important to ensure that the tests are conducted in a proper manner.

There are certain guidelines for conducting effec­tive tests, listed as under:

i. Ensure the Validity of Tests:

Validating means the degree to which a test measures accurately what it is designed to measure. It cannot be called valid unless and until it measures with reliable accuracy the future job performance of the candidates.

Validity of tests can be mea­sured in four different ways, given as under:

(a) Content Validity:

The extent to which the content of the tests are drafted carefully keeping the various job requirements into account.

(b) Predictive Validity:

The extent to which the future job behaviour of the candidate is predicted accurately with the help of the test.

(c) Concurrent Validity:

The extent to which there is a positive co-relation between job performance and test scores of present employees.

(d) Construct Validity:

The extent to which the test measures psy­chological quality such as intelligence or enthusiasm which it is supposed to measure.

ii. Reliability:

Reliability implies the ability of tests to give consistent results over a number of times. It is the consistency of scores obtained by the same person when re-tested again and again.

Various methods can be applied to judge reliability:

(a) Test- Re-Test Method:

In this case, the same test is administered to an individual or group at two different time periods and the scores obtained are compared. If the scores at two points of time are similar, the test is said to be reliable.

(b) Alternative Forms Method:

In this case, two similar forms of tests are given and the degrees to which the two sets of scores coincide indicate test reliability.

(c) Split Halves Method:

In this case, the whole test is divided into two similar and equal parts and a high association between the scores on the parts is used as an indicator of reliability.

iii. Objectivity:

The procedure for conducting the test needs to be ob­jective and fair so that two or more examiners conducting this test should be able to manage the same scores from the prospective em­ployees.

iv. Weightage:

The various elements in the test should be assigned a clear-cut weightage for arriving at the final score of the prospective employees.

v. Standardized Conditions:

The conditions under which the tests are being conducted should be maintained standard for all the employees to ensure uniformity of results.

vi. Competent Examiners:

The reliability of test scores depends to a large extent on the competency and efficiency of the examiners who are conducting the tests. So the examiners should be fully trained and competent in conducting various types of tests.

vii. Situations Specific:

There are various types of tests which can be conducted for measuring the performance of prospective employees, the choice of a specific type of test will depend on the specific situation and organisational objectives.

viii. Proper Briefing:

Before actually conducting the test it is important to brief the prospective employees about the procedure of the test and the criteria’s for measuring the test scores.

ix. Congenial Environment:

The place where the test has to be con­ducted should have a warm and congenial environment to make the employee’s feel comfortable.

Thus, it can be safely said that if the above guidelines are followed the organisation should be able to conduct the test properly and select the best candidates. In order to further reduce bias in testing, banding may be used, wherein candidates within a certain range of test scores are treated as equal.

Process # 5. Selection Interviews:

Interview is an attempt to secure attention and gather maximum amount of information from the applicant concerning his/her suitabi­lity for the job under consideration. Interview is conducted to mea­sure the applicant against the specific requirements of the job and to decide whether he will be a good fit. Some of the personality traits, for example, looks, manners, conversational skills, etc. can be judged only through an interview.

Objectives of Interviews:

Some of the important objectives of interviews are as under:

i. To get an opportunity to judge an applicant’s qualifications and characteristics as a basis for sound selection and placement;

ii. To determine their ability to get along well with others;

iii. To determine whether the applicant will fit into the organisational climate;

iv. To provide an applicant with essential facts about the job and the company in order to enable him to accept the employment offer;

v. To establish a rapport with the prospective employees;

vi. To add to the goodwill of the company by showing interest in the applicants and offering constructive suggestions.

Types of Interviews:

There are various types of interviews conducted.

Some of the impor­tant ones are depicted as under:

(i) Directed Interview:

It is a straightforward, face to face, question and answer session of the interview. Questions are based on the job duties and other facts regarding the candidate’s background information. It measures job knowledge, and also provides opportunities to observe personal characteristics, attitudes and motivation. However, it is not the best method for personality assessment.

(ii) Non-Directive or Depth Interview:

It is applicant centered with the interviewer playing mainly a listening role. Interviewer poses a minimum of constraints on the applicant and gives him an infor­mal environment and freedom of expression. This interviewing technique gives the applicant a chance to put forth the better side of their personality.

(iii) Patterned or Structured Interview:

These are limited by selecting the strategic parts of the applicant’s background and preparing in advance the questions that best elicit information about his/ her background. The advantage of this interview is that it helps in standardizing approach at different interviews as standard meth­ods of recording observations and interpretation are used.

(iv) Group Interview:

In this case, a group of applicants is interviewed simultaneously and those who give better performance are se­lected.

Process of Conducting Effective Interviews:

Various stages involved in conducting an effective interview are shown as under:

i. Preparation for the Interview:

An advance preparation is neces­sary for the interviewer because he should remember facts about the candidate and the points which he wants to cover in the inter­view.

ii. Arranging Physical Setting:

The place for the interview must be chosen carefully. It should be private and comfortable, cross ven­tilated, proper lighting arrangements, cooling or heating devices. The applicant should be well received by the receptionist and should be given drinking water facility and made comfortable before the interview starts.

iii. Conducting the Interview:

The interviewer must establish a rap­port with the applicant and then get complete and accurate in­formation using the language which is clear to the applicant and framing skillful questions.

iv. Close of the Interview:

The close of the interview is as important as the beginning. There should never be an abrupt close and the candidate should be given enough time for hearing. Close should always be indicated by some sign such as putting the pen down or pushing back of the chair.

v. Final Evaluation of the Candidate:

The strengths and weaknesses of the candidate should be critically balanced, weightage should be given to certain factors, final grades are allotted and finally list of successful candidates is prepared.

Guidelines for Effective Interview:

i. Interviewer should be of a certain status, authority and expertise.

ii. Interviewers should be thoroughly familiar with the background of the organisation which they represent.

iii. Interviewer should not begin the interview without thoroughly studying the relevant data about the candidate from the applica­tion form.

iv. Interviewers should guard against being unduly prejudiced or coloured by their own personality or pet theories.

v. An interviewer should know what traits are to be measured ac­curately during the interview.

vi. The interviewer should not talk too much. The talking and listen­ing ratio should be 25:75.

vii. An interviewer should refrain from passing a quick judgment before all the relevant facts have been gathered.

Process # 6. Physical/Medical Examination:

It is carried out to ascertain the physical fitness of an applicant for a job. It can vary from a very comprehensive examination and match­ing of an applicant’s physical abilities to his job requirements to a simple check of physical appearance and well-being.

It usually has at least three basic objectives – to ascertain if the applicant can meet the physical demands of the job; to provide a record to protect the organisation against claims for previously incurred injuries; and to prevent commu­nicable diseases from entering the organisation. And finally, when a candidate who is found physically fit, he/she is moved to the next stage.

Process # 7. Approval by the Supervisor:

A final approval by the immediate supervisor under whom an appli­cant has to finally work is very important. The supervisor has all the rights to accept or reject the applicant in the light of the immediate job requirements.

Process # 8. Placement:

It involves placing the new employees on jobs for which they are selected. They are assigned the specific jobs and workplaces. It is necessary to fit the square pegs into square holes. In other words, right man should be placed at the right job otherwise the person might not be able to contribute his/her best towards the job.

The induction pro­cess normally includes discussion of human resource policies, if any, with regards to the organisation, job conditions, and acquaintance with the people that the new employee will work with. The new recruit is also told about his/her duties on the job, the person to whom he/she will report to, the starting wages and salary, promotional opportunities in future, hours of work, fringe benefits, etc.

Thus, this stage of selec­tion process takes into account two major aspects of employment, firstly, acquainting the new employee with the surroundings, and the rules and regulations and secondly, indoctrinating the new employee with the philosophy of the company and its reason for existence.

Process # 9. Induction and Orientation:

It involves introducing or orienting the new employee with his job, fellow employees, and relating the work of the new recruit to that of the total organisation. Information may also be given concerning the specific employees services such as retirement benefits, health, welfare plans, etc. The purpose of orientation and socialisation is to create a bit of familiarity with the organisation, so that the new recruit should not feel out of place.

They are formally introduced to everyone in the organisation so that they should start working with their fellow employees comfortably. This is to make him/her successful on the job because in order to be an asset to the organisation, the new employee needs to know the organisation, its policies, and procedure.

Objectives of Induction and Orientation:

Induction and orientation is of great significance in a country like ours where there is tremendous migration from rural areas to urban areas in search of better job opportunities. When people from rural areas migrate to urban areas and join big organisations, they find themselves in an entirely different culture and environment. So induction and orientation help these employees to get them adjusted to the new envi­ronment comfortably.

The various objectives achieved by effective ori­entation programs are mentioned as under:

(i) To build up the new employee’s confidence in the organisation and in himself so that he/she may become an efficient employee.

(ii) To help the newcomer overcome their initial hesitation and get familiar with the organisational culture and environment.

(iii) To give newcomers a warm welcome and create a sense of belongingness and loyalty amongst them.

(iv) To create an understanding and rapport between the old employ­ees and the new employee of the organisation.

(v) To give the newcomer necessary information about the policies, procedures and locations of the new organisation so that they should not feel out of place and are able to adjust to the new job comfortably.

(vi) To ensure the integration of the new employee into the organisation as smooth and comfortable as possible.

So, it is important to formally induct an employee in an organisation. Though the induction program may be a very small and informal affair in the small organisations, the same turns out to be an elaborate proce­dure in big multinational organisations. Such a program consists of a tour of the plant or the office, a talk about the history and background of the organisation, a short discussion with the human resource officer and distribution of company handbook or manual.

The employee is also shown the various important locations in the organisation. Infor­mation is also disseminated with regards to the rules, regulations, safety procedures and daily work routines. Opportunities for training, promo­tions, transfers etc. are also brought to their notice. Lectures, film slides, group seminars and employee handbooks are used in formal orientation.

Process # 10. Socialisation:

It is a process of adaptation through which a new recruit begins to understand and accept the values, norms and beliefs held by others in the organisation. HR department helps new recruits to ‘internalise the way things are done in the organisation’. Socialisation helps the new­comers to interact freely with other employees working at various locations and learn behaviours that are acceptable. It also helps them to adjust to the social or cultural environment in the organisation.

Finally, to conclude, we can say that appropriate recruiting and selec­tion policies and procedures, and their skillful execution, results in greater overall efficiency of the human resource management. By selecting best candidates for the various roles in organisation, the human resource department can ensure better work quality, improved em­ployee performance, superior employer-employee relations, and better realisation of organisational objectives.

Moreover, good selection fits the right person to the right job, thereby increasing job satisfaction and reducing the cost of personnel turnover. In addition, training costs are reduced, either because those hired are more capable of absorbing training or because they require less formal training and are constantly motivated to perform at their best.

The procedure adopted in selecting candidates may differ from organization to organization and within the organization. Also it may differ based on the type of job. Nevertheless, there is a common selection process followed by many companies.

The steps in the selection process as described by Decenzo and Robbins (2008) are given below:

Step # 1. Initial Screening:

Initial screening is the first step in selection process involving two components viz., Screening enquiries and Screening interviews.

Screening enquiries help in the elimination of applicants based on job description, job specification, experience and education.

Screening interview is an opportunity to find out the seriousness of the candidates in applying for the job. Conference call interviews or video conferencing are of help in the screening process.

Step # 2. Completing the Application Form:

After completion of initial screening, company-specific employment form is used to generate specific information needed by the company. In general, the application form gives a job-performance related synopsis of applicant’s educational background, experience, skills and accomplishments and some relevant personal details.

It is a special type of application form that uses relevant information about the applicant to determine the likelihood of job success. The information gathered help recruiters differentiate between potentially successful and unsuccessful job performers.

The recruiter identifies the important items which are essential or appropriate for a particular job and selects those applications which contain these items on priority. Some firms, while allocating points to each relevant item in the application, allot extra points (weighted) to the items which are more relevant to the job.

ii. Online Applications:

Nowadays many organizations are accepting online applications. There are organizations which accept only online applications. Some companies which do not want to get flooded with online applications frequently contract with companies such as Monster(dot)com, Career builder etc., to receive only relevant applications.

The major advantage of encouraging online applications is that the recruitment process is faster. Another advantage is that it generates a diversity of applicants. Further, posting job openings online is cheaper than advertisements in the media. However, the flip side is that it will be a Herculean task to process the huge number of applications.

Step # 3. Employment Tests:

Literally hundreds of tests are available and described in books on applied industrial psychology. These tests are quite helpful in predicting the successful prospective employees. These tests can measure intellect, spatial ability, perception skills, mechanical comprehension, motor ability or personality traits.

i. Performance Simulation Tests:

To avoid the criticism and potential liability from using psychological, aptitude and other types of written tests, nowadays, firms use performance simulation tests. Here, actual work situations are simulated and the applicants are required to engage in behaviours necessary for doing the job successfully. It is assumed that these tests meet the requirement of the job-relatedness more easily because they consist of actual job behaviours.

ii. Work Sampling:

It is a selection method requiring the job applicant to actually perform a small part of the job. In fact, it creates a mini replica of a job. Recruiters can assess whether the applicants possess the necessary skills/talents to do the actual tasks. Carefully selected work samples based on job analysis data determine the knowledge, skills and abilities needed for the job.

iii. Assessment Centers:

Assessment center is a facility (not a place) where performance simulation tests are administered. Here, the tests are elaborate and specifically designed to evaluate a candidate’s managerial position. These tests involve group as well as individual exercises. Applicants undergo a series of exercises which are appraised by line managers, supervisors, supervisors and/or trained psychologists. Similar to work sampling, these exercises are designed to simulate the actual work of managers. In certain cases, assessment center includes traditional cognitive ability tests and personality tests.

(iii) Achievement tests measure what a person knows or can do right now.

While cognitive ability tests measure a person’s mental capacity, personality tests measure disposition and temperament. Personality traits are summarized by the ‘Big Five’ factors, namely, extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neurotism and openness to experience. Apart from the above common tests, there are companies which administer additional tests.

iv. Honesty and Integrity Tests:

Pencil-and-paper honesty tests are used to find out potential items in integrity such as protecting wrong-doers, lenient with wrong­doers, entertaining counterproductive thoughts, intending to take part in counterproductive behavior, justifying questionable behaviour, etc. A comprehensive analysis and interpretation of honesty tests reveal the candidate’s suitability for the job and other disruptive behaviours such as theft, disciplinary problems and absenteeism.

The results of honesty tests must be used cautiously, preferably in conjunction with other sources of information.

v. Graphology:

It refers to a variety of systems of handwriting analysis. From characteristics such as size and slant of letters, amount of pressure applied and placement of the writing on the page, graphologists are able to draw inferences about the writer’s personality traits, intelligence, energy level, organizational abilities, creativity, integrity, emotional maturity, self-image, people skills and entrepreneurial tendencies.

Many employers use results of graphology to make employment decision. Though the predictive validity of graphology for job performance and occupational success remains questionable, many prefer it to personality tests which are costly and time consuming.

Step # 4. Reliability and Validity of Tests:

Tests conducted for employment selection must be reliable and valid.

i. Reliability:

Reliability is the degree to which the tests yield comparable data over a period of time. A test that gives widely different scores when administered to the same individual a few days apart is unreli­able. Reliability also refers to the extent to which two or more methods of tests give similar results.

If a test yields almost same scores when administ­ered by two or more raters, it shows the consistency of the test. Unless the results on which decisions are made are reliable, in terms of both stability and consistency, they cannot be used as predictors.

ii. Validity:

Validity refers to what a test or procedure measures and how well it measures. It is the degree to which a test or procedure measures a person’s attributes.

(i) In personal selection, validity is an indicator of the extent to which data from a test are predictive of job performance.

(ii) Like a new medicine, a selection test must be validated before it is administered.

(iii) There are two reasons for validating a test. First, validity is directly related to employee performance and second, certain regulations emphasize the importance of validity in selection procedure.

(iv) In technical sense, validity refers to the inferences made from the use of the test, not to the test itself.

(v) There are different approaches to validation, namely, criterion- related validity, content validity and construct validity.

Criterion-Related Validity:

The degree to which a particular test accurately predicts the important elements of work behaviour. E.g., Performance on a test vs. the actual production records and supervisory ratings. In a sales job, it is the test scores vs. the actual sales figures. Higher the test scores and higher the sales or production, then the test has criterion-related validity.

There are three types of criteri­on-related validity:

(i) Concurrent validity,

(ii) Predictive validity, and

(iii) Cross-validation.

(i) Concurrent Validity:

It is validating tests by using current (present) employees as the study group. That is, the employees take a test experimentally and the test scores are immediately compared with their actual performance on the job. If there is good correlation between the test scores of the employees and their actual performance, then the test has concurrent validity.

(ii) Predictive Validity:

It is validating tests by using prospective applicants as the study group. Test is administered on all prospective applicants. The test scores are filed. Some applicants may get selected after successfully completing the entire selection process.

After sometime, may be after a year, the employees performance is compared with their original test scores. If there is significant positive relationship between the initial test scores and the performance measured after a time gap, the test is known to have predictive validity.

(iii) Cross-Validation:

Verifying the results obtained from a validation test by administering a test to a different sample.

(a) Content Validity:

It is the extent to which a test adequately samples the knowledge and skills needed to perform a job. Example, A typing test for a typist. Content validity is the most direct and least complicated type of validity to assess unlike the criterion-related method. Content validity is not expressed in correlation terms.Instead, an index is formulated from evaluations of an expert panel which indicates the relationship between the content of the test items and performance on the job.

(b) Construct Validity:

It is the degree to which a particular trait or a theoretical construct relates to successful job performance such as IQ and job performance. These traits are usually abstract in nature, such as IQ, and are called constructs. Measuring construct validity requires showing that the psychological trait is related to satisfactory job performance and the test accurately measures he psychological trait.

iii. Practicality:

In addition to validity and reliability, another input factor is ‘practicality’. The tests must be practical i.e., whether the tests are easy to administer. Many a time, a certain test may be highly valid and reliable but cannot be used for certain situations.

Step # 5. Comprehensive Interview:

After successful completion of the selection tests, the candidates are required to undergo a comprehensive interview. The applicant may be interviewed by HR experts, senior managers, Supervisors, Peers or some or all of these.

Comprehensive interviews are designed to probe areas not revealed in the applications or tests, such as one’s motivation, values, beliefs, ability to cope with stress and suitability to ‘fit in’ with the organization.

Effectiveness of Interview:

A common question arises whenever interviews are discussed. Are interviews effective for gathering relevant information? Interview has become a common universal tool in the selection process. There are different types of interview- one to one interview, panel interview, situational interview, stress interview etc.

(i) Interview’s validity as a selection tool has been subject to debate.

(ii) There is no cut and try interviews. Many factors enter into the interviewing process.

(iii) Interviews have been found to be expensive, inefficient and often not job-related.

(iv) However, interviews have become a part of every job search.

Types of Interview:

Interview methods differ in terms of the amount of control exercised by the interviewer. In highly structured interview, the interviewer determines the course of interview whereas in less structured interview, the applicant plays a major role.

I. Unstructured (Non-Directive Interview):

(i) It is an interview in which the applicant is allowed the maximum amount of freedom in determining the course of interview, while the interviewer carefully refrains from influencing the applicant’s arguments.

(ii) The interviewer asks mostly broad and open-ended questions (tell about your skills, elaborate your work experience, what do you think about our company etc.)

(iii) The applicant is allowed to talk freely with minimum interruption.

(iv) Generally, the interviewer listens carefully and does not argue, interrupt or change the course abruptly.

(v) The interviewer uses follow-up questions to extract more details and allows pauses in the conversation.

(vi) Freedom given to the applicant is valuable in bringing out any information, attitudes, or feelings that may often be concealed in structured interview.

However, as there is no set procedure, it is difficult to cross-check agreement with other interviewers. Thus the reliability and validity of nondirective interview is expected to be minimal. This method is mostly used in interviewing candidates for high-level positions and in counseling.

II. Structured Interview:

(i) It is an interview where a set of standardized questions having an established set of answers is used.

(ii) It is based exclusively on job duties and requirement, critical to job performance.

(iv) There should be standard (benchmark) answers determined in advance. The correctness of answers is rated on a five-point scale.

(v) The applicant’s answers are evaluated by a panel of interviewers.

(vi) Same procedure is followed for all the applicants.

(vii) The interview is documented for future reference and in case of legal challenge.

III. Situational Interview:

(i) It is an interview in which an applicant is given a hypothetical incident and asked how he or she would respond to it.

(ii) It is a variation of structured interview.

(iii) The applicant’s response to hypothetical situation is evaluated against the predetermined standard answer.

(iv) It is commonly used to select new college graduates.

IV. Behavioural Description Interview:

(i) It is an interview in which an applicant is asked questions about what he or she actually did in a given situation.

(ii) In contrast to a situational interview, which focuses on hypothetical situations, behavioural description interview focuses on actual work incident in the interviewee’s past.

(iii) The applicant is asked what exactly he or she did in the given situation.

(iv) It is assumed that past performance is the best predictor of future performance.

(v) There are chances of faking by the applicants.

It is reported that this interview method is more effective than the situational interview for selecting people for higher-level positions.

V. Panel Interview:

It is an interview in which a board of interviewers questions and observes a single candidate. The applicant meets with three to five interviewers who take turns asking questions.

After the interview the interviewers pool their observations and their rating scores to reach a consensus about the suitability of the candidate. This method is found to have higher reliability because of multiple input greater acceptance of the decision and shorter decision time. If the panels are composed of a diverse group of interviewers/selection discrimination is minimized.

VI. Computer Interview:

(i) Nowadays, more and more organizations are using computers and the internet in the interviewing process.

(iv) Computer interview can also be used as a screening device to filter unqualified applicants.

(v) There are agencies having expertise in computer interview with relevant softwares.

(vi) In addition to the benefits of objectivity, applicants are less likely to engage in ‘impression management’.

(vii) Computer interview is used mainly as a complement to, rather than as a replacement for, conventional interviews.

VII. Video Interview:

There are many big companies such as AT&T, Dell Computer, Shell Oil and Nike which use videoconference technologies to evaluate job candidates. While some companies have their own videoconferencing facilities, some hire outside agencies.

(i) Video interviews have several advantages such as flexibility speed and cost.

(ii) Company can make preliminary assessments about the candidate’s technical abilities, energy’ level, appearance, communication skill etc., before incurring the costs of a face-to-face meeting.

(iii) There are web-based companies which allow recruiters to videotape job applicants and post video interviews to a website. Corporations log on to the sites and check out candidates free of charge or for a small fee.

(iv) By recording and playing back the interviews to several executives, firms can eliminate setting up of more interviews.

(v) The ultimate goal is to enable faster, higher-quality decisions at lower cost.

Research Findings on Interviews:

The following are some of the inferences on interviews:

(i) Interview is valuable in determining an applicant’s organizational fit, level of motivation and interpersonal skills.

(ii) Structured and well-organized interviews are more reliable.

(iii) Interviewer’s evaluation is biased by the prior knowledge about the applicant.

(iv) Interviewers generally, hold a stereotype of what a ‘good’ applicant should be.

(v) Interviewers tend to favour applicants who share his or her own attitudes.

(vi) The order in which applicants are interviewed and also the order in which information is obtained influence evaluations.

(vii) Unduly weightage is given to negative information.

(viii) Decision on the candidate’s suitability is, usually, taken in the first few minutes.

(ix) Interviewers are more likely to forget the contents of the interview within minutes after completion.

(x) Interviewers are misled by impression management tactics of candidates. This refers to one’s attempt to project an image that will result in a favourable rating. If an applicant can say or do something the interviewer approves of, that person may be viewed more favourably for the position.

(xi) Interrater reliability is increased when there is adequate information about the job.

(xii) Intelligence is the trait most validly estimated by an interview, but the interview information adds nothing to test data.

(xiii) Interviewers can easily explain why a candidate is rejected but they cannot easily answer why a candidate is more suitable.

(xiv) Factual written data seem to be more important than physical appearance in decision making.

(xv) Nonverbal as well as verbal communication influence rating.

(xvi) Experienced interviewers tend to be more selective than less experienced ones.

How to Make Interviews more Effective?

Apart from the characteristics of the interviews themselves, interviewers play a major role in making the interviews effective. Organizations must select the employment interviewers judiciously. The interviewers must be humble and able to think objectively. They should have the maturity and poise. Due to diversity in the workforce, experience in associating with people from diverse backgrounds is also desirable. Qualities to be avoided in the interviewers are over talkativeness, extreme opinions and biases.

Effective interviewer must:

(i) Establish an interview plan based on the purposes of interview, determine the areas and specific questions to be covered and review job requirements, application-form data, test scores and other available information before the interview.

(ii) Establish/maintain rapport with the applicants by greeting the applicants pleasantly, explaining the purpose of the interview, showing sincere interest in the applicant and listening carefully.

(iii) Be an active listener striving to understand, comprehend and gain insight into what is only suggested/implied with alert mind and appropriate body language.

(iv) Pay attention to nonverbal cues of the applicant such as facial expressions, gestures, body position and movements as they provide clues to the candidate’s attitudes and feelings.

(v) Provide information as freely and honest as possible by answering fully and frankly the applicant’s questions and present a realistic picture of the job.

(vi) Use questions effectively to elicit truthful answers by phrasing the questions objectively without indicating what response is desired.

(vii) Separate facts from inferences by recording factual information and inferences separately for comparison with those of others later.

(viii) Recognize biases and stereotypes, particularly, the interests, experiences and background common to both the interviewer and the interviewee.

(ix) Control the course of interview by establishing an interview plan and sticking to it and providing the applicant with ample chance to talk but at the same time maintaining control of the situation to reach the objectives of the interview.

(x) Standardize the questions asked to increase reliability by putting the same questions to all applicants for a particular job.

Step # 6. Background Examination:

Background investigation is the process of verifying information provided by the candidates seeking job.

(i) Background investigations or reference checks are intended to verify that the information given in the application form is correct and accurate.

(iii) Even third-party investigators are hired to do the background check.

(iv) Background investigation is done as applicants tend to exaggerate their backgrounds and experiences. Further, a good predictor of an individual’s future behavior is his or her past behavior.

(v) It is just common sense that the organization should find out as much as possible about its applicants before final hiring decision is made as failure to do so will have detrimental effect, both in cost and morale.

Step # 7. Conditional Job Offers:

Once the selection process is successfully completed, the job applicants are given conditional job offer. It is a tentative job offer that becomes permanent after certain conditions are met. Conditional job offers typically come from HRM department. This offer implies that if everything, such as passing a certain medical test, physical or drug abuse test etc., checks out the conditional nature of the job will be removed and the offer will be permanent.

Step # 8. Medical/Physical Examination:

The last-but-one-step in the selection process is medical/physical examination.

(i) Physical examination is done to screen out applicants who are unable to physically comply with the requirements of a job (fire service, security service, police department etc.).

(ii) Medical examination is needed to show that minimum standards of health exist to enroll in company health and life insurance programmes.

(iii) The company can use the data of medical / physical examination to provide base data in case of an employee’s future claim of injury on the job.

(iv) Of late, many companies require applicants to undergo a drug test. Failing an employment drug test will result in rejecting an applicant.

Step # 1. Selection Tests:

The maxim is that, ‘Where recruitment ends, selection starts’. Selection is a stage that follows the recruitment process, wherein the applications are screened. The selection process also includes organizing screening tests, selection interviews, and finalizing selection decisions.

Screening of application form encompasses assessing the quantifiable data and checking for consistency. The selection process employs a number of tests to identify whether or not the candidates have to their credit the qualities essential to accomplish the tasks assignable to them.

The process includes intelligence, aptitude, attitude, ability and interest, and intellectual ability tests. The goal of selection extends to find people suitable for the jobs and the organization.

Following are some such tests used extensively in selecting candidates:

i. Intelligence Tests:

Intelligence is a general trait and tests for this measure general intellectual abilities, assisting to assess the capacity of comprehension and reasoning of candidates. Managers depend highly on the results of these types of psychological tests.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is a procedure adopted to divide a child’s mental age (as measured by intelligence test) by his/her chronological age, and then multiply the result by 100.

ii. Special Cognitive Abilities or Aptitude Tests:

Tests to measure special cognitive abilities are often called as aptitude tests as the purpose is to measure aptitude for the job in question. This is also a type of IQ test. Aptitude tests are conducted to measure whether an individual has the capacity or latent ability to learn on the job if adequate training is given.

Aptitude tests include Management Trial Exercise (MATRIX) developed by Proctor and Gamble, Clerical Aptitude Test (CAT) to assess vocabulary, spelling, arithmetical ability, etc., Pilot Aptitude Test (PAT) to assess coordination between the hand and feet, and Computer Aptitude Test to assess the power of reasoning and analysis.

iii. Interests Test:

This test helps to evaluate interest and curiosity of candidates in the job that he/she has applied for.

iv. Performance Simulation Test:

These tests are aimed to find out if the applicants can do the job successfully. These tests include work sampling and assessment center.

Work sampling is an effort to create a miniature replica of a job or its prototype. The applicants need to demonstrate that they possess the necessary skills by actually performing the tasks assigned. Assessment center is not a location but a process using which psychologists evaluate candidates. Candidates are invited to appear for interview or other tests through a letter.

v. Personality Test:

It includes Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), which is a projective test wherein candidates are shown series of pictures, one at a time, and asked to write a story for each of the picture. For example, few scenes of this test are (a) an old man knocked down by a car, (b) a schoolboy sleeping under a tree with his school bag and knife lying beside him, (c) a good looking girl standing at door of a train, (d) a policeman viewing a crowd, and so forth.

vi. Preference Record Test by Kuder:

This questionnaire tests the interest in mechanical, scientific, clerical, social service, computation, persuasive, artistic, literary, and musical abilities. Kuder designed techniques differentiate between honest answers and those which are responded to make a good impression. Emphasis is laid on detecting dishonest answers. As per Kuder, the system is go percent accurate in detecting dishonest answers.

vii. Psychological Tests:

These tests are considered extremely beneficial. Untrained people can misuse and misinterpret these tests. Good tests are useful in the right circumstances because they can provide an objective measure of abilities of people.

These tests are the most sophisticated tool for measuring human characteristics and are unbiased as compared to other selection tests and are, therefore, extensively used in selection decision. Psychological tests include intelligence tests.

Rorschach inkblot test-In this test, a candidate is asked to organize unstructured ink blots into meaningful concepts; the integration by the candidate helps to predict and formulate his/her personality.

viii. Strong Vocational Interest Blank:

In these tests, an applicant is asked about his/her likes, dislikes, or check if they are indifferent to many examples of school subjects, occupations, amusements, peculiarities of people, and particular activities. The answers given are compared with the answers given by successful people in specific professions and occupations.

Step # 2. Selection Interview:

Interviews are the most common form of selection tools used by organizations. During an interview, organizations should treat the interviewee as their guest. They should portray a positive image of their company in front of the interviewee so that he gets a good impression about the organization.

Interviewing the candidates is the last stage of the screening process. Data furnished in the application forms or results of tests, done before the interview session, cannot address some areas. Ability to work under stress, inter-personal skills, ability to fit-in the organization, grasping capacity, style of interaction, etc. are some of these aspects that are judged through interview by the board members.

The interview board should welcome the interviewees with a warm greeting, exchanging information to create a healthy environment. Interviewers should first start with general questions like areas of interests. A candidate interested in cricket may be interrogated about the results of last one day international or Indian Premier League (IPL) match.

Interviewees must be encouraged to respond positively. Interviews are considered good when the flow of information is smooth between the interviewer and the candidate. The board should take notes during the interview. In order to get an accurate assessment of a candidate’s ability, the interviewers should be specifically cautious resorting to competency-based interview.

A candidate can be nervous, uncommunicative, or even talkative:

i. Nervous Candidates:

In order to ascertain the knowledge content to the extent possible, nervous candidates should be greeted warmly, engaged in more small talks than usual, identify the areas of interest, and point out facilities available within the organization. For such candidates, the interviewer should start with specific and fact-based questions that are easy for the candidate to answer and unlikely to be stressful.

Gradually, his/her confidence will build. It is advisable to speak slowly to such candidates in a relaxed and informal manner.

ii. Uncommunicative Candidates:

There are many individuals who are, by nature, reserved or uncommunicative. These candidates simply need to be encouraged to share their thoughts. It has also been evidenced that they can be made vocal using silence. If the interviewers become silent for a little time, the candidate starts answering the question asked earlier.

A candidate may not be able to state strengths and weaknesses. If any candidate has trouble in answering a particular question, he/she may be asked some other question. The same question could be asked again later. Such candidates may be given some time to think before responding to the questions.

iii. Talkative Candidates:

Talkative employees can be very good performers and hence should not be neglected. Candidates, who talk too much, often tell about things unrelated to the job or interview question as they move out of the track.

They should not be neglected but rather managed. Such candidates may be reminded about the time constraints. They should be told that the interviewer will be following a structure and stress on the time available for each section of the interview. The conversation can be redirected.

Similar to every organizational event, the cost of selection process needs to be controlled. Keeping the costs of selection down involves factors like holding the interviews in one location that is accessible to the interviewing panel and to those being interviewed.

Most of the companies reimburse the return travel fare to the candidates. In order to utilize the cost of selection, care must be taken to ensure that the necessary documents like application forms, results of previously held selection tests, etc. are available to the interview board before the start of the interview. This is of utmost importance in case of mobile interview board.

Step # 3. Interview Question Bank:

The interview board members discuss among themselves the attributes essential for the task accomplishment before finalizing the question bank. At present, to avoid or reduce ‘accept error’ or ‘select error’, board members develop and use a question bank before the start of the interview. Some companies also develop question bank tailor-made for the position to present to the board members. While interviewing candidates, they generally ask questions from the bank.

However, in demanding situations, they can ask any other question as well. This might happen in cases where the interviewee might express his experience from a unique area of specialization.

The question bank basically deals with questions about achievement (past and/or present), motivation, sense of defining self, strength and weaknesses, depth of knowledge, leadership ability, ability of thinking analytically, knowledge about the company, sales or marketing ability, capacity to work in stress, self-esteem, and many such aspects.

Organizations, for the selection of candidates for various positions, develop a different question bank. The interviewers including invited external experts are provided with the question for the particular position. The question bank also helps to standardize the interview process and procure potential talents.

A question bank categorically protects the interview process from undesirable factors like duplication and repetition. Most importantly, in campus interview, interviewers ask questions from the summer internship project (SIP).

Step # 4. Interview Assessment:

After interviewing the candidates, the board members need to sit together to assess all the candidates, one by one. The opinion can vary between two members about a candidate’s performance.

Each candidate is assessed based on multiple parameters like appearance and attitude, personality, communication style, education, work experience, technical competence, ambition, potential, and many such aspects. In fact, an interviewer uses a pre-designed format to facilitate quick decision-making.

Step # 5. Selection Decision:

Members of the interview board make judgmental decision to select the right candidates. In order to minimize subjectivity, each candidate should be evaluated against the same selection criteria and factors.

To facilitate evaluating and comparing candidates at a glance, the board may design a grid or spreadsheet with the selection criteria and factors listed along one axis and the candidates’ names along the other. It is important to take time, say one or two days, to consider all of the decision factors. They should avoid making on-the-spot or quick selection decisions.

i. Possible Selection Errors:

Correct selection decisions are those where the candidate was predicted to be successful in advance and proves to be successful on the job. At times, the applicant is predicted to be unsuccessful and he/she is rejected.

ii. Select Errors:

This error is also referred to as ‘accept error’ or ‘false positives’ or erroneous acceptances, where the selected candidates fail to perform the tasks, cannot attain the quantitative target, or conform to the qualitative requirements, or both. They continue to be underperformers as can be evidenced from their poor performance.

iii. Reject Errors:

Errors arise when a candidate, who would have performed successfully on the job, is rejected. This is termed as ‘reject error’. Sometimes, during selection for a higher post, one is selected and the rest of the candidates are rejected. Later, we find that a candidate, who was rejected, is performing exceedingly well in some other organization. In such cases, the reject error comes to limelight.

Both the select and reject errors can be minimized, if the selection system is impartial, has a degree of objectivity, and follows a fairly uniform standard of assessment. One possible reason behind wrong selection may be attributable to the unverifiable skills. The Iceberg Model of Competencies highlights more visible (i.e., portion of the iceberg that remains above the surface of water) and less visible (i.e., portion of the iceberg that remains below the surface of water) competencies.

Skill and knowledge constitute the visible part of competency that can be verified during the interview process. The interpersonal skills, attitudes and values, and motivation constitute the invisible part.

Contextually, it is mentioned that skills are learned ability, knowledge is information acquired in a particular field, attitudes and values constitute self-image, trait refers to why and how we behave in a certain way, and motive is what drives us (e.g., achievement, power/influence, and affiliation).

Selection Process in HRM – Factors which Determine the Steps Involved in a Selection Process

Selection can be conceptualized in terms of either choosing the fit candidates, or rejecting the unfit candidates, or a combination of both. Selection involves both because it picks up the fits and rejects the unfits. In fact, in Indian context, there are more candidates who are rejected than those who are selected in most of the selection processes. Therefore, sometimes, it is called a negative process in contrast to positive programme of recruitment.

A more formal definition of selection is as follows:

Selection is the process of differentiating between applicants in order to identify (and hire) those with a greater likelihood of success in a job.

Selection process assumes, and rightly so, that there are more number of candidates available than the number of candidates actually selected. These candidates are made available through recruitment process.

A selection process involves a number of steps — screening of application forms, selection tests, selection interviews, checking of references, physical examination, approval by appropriate authority, and handing over the selected candidates to orientation and placement section.

However, it is not necessary that all these steps are involved in every selection process. The basic idea in a selection process is to solicit maximum possible information about the candidates to ascertain their suitability for the employment. Since there are various factors which affect the seeking of such information, the same type of selection process cannot be applied in all types of selection.

The major factors which determine the steps involved in a selection process are as follows:

1. Various steps involved in a selection process depend on the type of personnel to be selected. For example, more information is required for the selection of managerial personnel as compared to workers. Therefore, selection process for managerial personnel has to be more comprehensive as compared to that for workers.

2. Selection process depends on the sources of recruitment and the method that is adopted for making contact with the prospective candidates. In each type of method, selection process involved is different to some degree.

For example, in the case of advertisement, selection process is more comprehensive and time-consuming, whereas in the case of campus recruitment, the process is shortened and may be completed in a day.

3. Selection process depends on the number of candidates that are available for selection. If the number is large enough, there is a need for creating various filtering points and reducing the number of applicants at each successive point. However, where the number of applicants is small, lesser number of filtering points are required.

4. Organization’s selection policy also determines the steps which may be involved in selection process. For example, there are various organizations which conduct selection tests for a position like management trainee whereas many organizations simply go through interviews only.

All the above factors are not mutually exclusive, rather these operate simultaneously. In any case, the basic objective of a selection process is to collect as much relevant information about the candidates as is possible so that the most suitable candidates are selected. A comprehensive selection process involves the various steps.

Steps for Selection Process:

Let us discuss the various steps involved in selection process briefly as the typical issues involved in major steps will follow subsequently:

Step # 1. Application Pool:

Application pool built-up through recruitment process is the base for selection process. The basic objective at the recruitment level is to attract as much worthwhile applications as possible so that there are more options available at the selection stage.

Step # 2. Screening of Applications:

The real process of selection begins with the screening of applications. Prospective employees have to fill up some sort of application forms. These forms have variety of information about the applicants like their personal bio-data, achievements,
experience, etc.

Such information is used to screen the applicants who are found to be qualified for the consideration of employment. The information may also be used to keep permanent records of those persons who are selected.

Based on the screening of applications, only those candidates are called for further process of selection who are found to be meeting the job standards of the organization. When the number of applicants meeting the job standards far exceeds the actual requirement, the organizations decide a suitable number of candidates who will be called for further selection process.

Step # 3. Selection Tests:

Many organizations hold different kinds of selection tests to know more about the candidates or to reject the candidates who cannot be called for interview, etc. Selection tests normally supplement the information provided in the application forms. Such forms may contain factual information about candidates.

Selection tests may give information about their aptitude, interest, personality, etc. which cannot be known by application forms.

Step # 4. Interview:

Selection tests are normally followed by personal interview of the candidates. The basic idea here is to find out overall suitability of candidates for the jobs. It also provides opportunity to give relevant information about the organization to the candidates. In many cases, interview of preliminary nature can be conducted before the selection tests. For example, in the case of campus selection, preliminary interview is held for short listing the candidates for further process of selection.

Step # 5. Checking of References:

Many organizations ask the candidates to provide the names of referees from whom more information about the candidates can be solicited. Such information may be related to character, working, etc.

The usual referees may be previous employers, persons associated with the educational institutions from where the candidates have received education, or other persons of prominence who may be aware of the candidates’ behaviour and ability. In our country, references are not given adequate importance because of their biasness but these can give very useful information which may not be available otherwise.

Step # 6. Physical Examination:

Physical examination is carried out to ascertain the physical standards and fitness of prospective employees. The practice of physical examination varies a great deal both in terms of coverage and timing. While many organizations do not carry physical examinations at all, others carry on a very comprehensive basis.

Some organizations only have general check-up of applicants to find the major physical problems which may come in the way of effective discharge of duties. In the context of timing also, some organizations locate the physical examination near the end of the selection process, others place it relatively early in the process. This latter course is generally followed when there is high demand for physical fitness.

Step # 7. Approval by Appropriate Authority:

On the basis of the above steps, suitable candidates are recommended for selection by the selection committee or HR department. Though such a committee or HR department may have authority to select the candidates finally, often it has staff authority to recommend the candidates for selection to the appropriate authority.

Organizations may designate the various authorities for approval of final selection of candidates for different categories of candidates. Thus, for top level managers, board of directors may be approving authority; for lower levels, even functional heads concerned may be approving authority. In university, it may be syndicate/executive committee.

Step # 8. Final Selection:

After the approval of the competent authority, the selection is final and the candidate concerned may be informed accordingly. Sometimes, more than one name may be suggested by the selection committee and approved by the competent authority for a single position. In such a case, the person whose name is at the top is selected and informed.

Step # 9. Employment Contract:

The relationship between the organization and its employees is a contractual one, and from this point of view, anyone who is in the employment of the organization and draws salary/wage is an employee irrespective of the position held by a person though in practice, often, personnel are divided into two categories- management consisting of higher levels and employees at lower levels.

The implication of contractual relationship is that both employees and organization must enter into employment contract indicating the various terms and conditions of the employment.

Step # 10. Evaluation:

Evaluation of total selection programme, though strictly not a step of selection process but helps in ensuring its effectiveness, may be undertaken at two stages- during the process and after the process. During the process, evaluation tries to measure the reliability and the validity of various steps used in the selection process. Evaluation, after the process is over, measures the outcomes of the selection process in terms of the performance of those who have been selected.

Out of the above steps of selection process, the first three steps screening of application forms, selection tests, and interviews provide maximum information about the candidates on the basis of which selection is generally made. Therefore, it is relevant to identify the issues involved in these and the way they help in arriving at selection decision.

Factors Affecting Selection Process Adversely:

There are some factors which affect selection process adversely and act as barriers to effective selection process, As a result, selection process tends to give faulty results.

The more common factors are as follows:

Factor # 1. Misperception:

Perception is involved in every walk of human life, including selection of candidates in a selection process. Perception is the process through which an individual interprets his sensory impressions to give meaning to objects, persons, etc. If this perception is correct, rational decision is made about the element being perceived.

However, there are certain factors which lead to misperception. The factors leading to misperception in case of selection process are as follows- (i) personality features of a selector as he prefers a candidate more whose personality features match with his personality features though the personality features of the candidate may not match with job requirements, and (ii) matching of place of origin, educational institution, etc., of the candidate with those of the selector. In this case, there is a possibility that wrong candidate may be selected.

Factor # 2. Discrimination:

Though in theory, there is no discrimination based on religion, caste, gender, place of origin, etc., in practice, discrimination is made on these bases. For example, many selectors tend to give more weight to candidates belonging to their own religion, caste, or place of origin. Similarly, many male selectors do not prefer to select female candidates. This is the case with female selectors too. As a result, selection process does not yield fair result.

Factor # 3. Lack of Validity and Reliability of Selection Tools:

There are two types of tools that are used in selection process: selection tests and selection interview. You have seen earlier that in many cases, selection tests are neither valid nor reliable. Similarly, there are many pitfalls in interview too. Thus, selection process gives faulty results.

Factor # 4. Pressure:

In many cases, pressure is put on selection to select particular candidate/s. Such a pressure is more prevalent in public sector organizations. In many cases, politicians, bureaucrats, etc. put pressure on selectors. Similar type of pressure is put by relatives and friends of a candidate even in private sector organizations. This type of pressure makes the selection process faulty.

Process #1. Welcoming & Pre-Selection Talk:

The candidates who have been short listed during the recruitment phase are invited for the selection process on a particular day. The candidates are welcomed and generally companies give a pre-selection talk to the candidates, briefing them about the company, its history and legacy, the job-on-offer etc. Some basic queries and doubts of the candidates can also be cleared during this round.

Process #2. Screening Round:

If the number of candidates is large, the companies have a screening round that may generally be a written test. This is to effectively weed-out candidates who do not meet basic competency expected by the company.

Process #3. Selection Test & Interview:

The companies choose an array of selection tools from test to interview and at times have multiple iterations of the same to select the right candidate.

Process #4. Letter of Intent:

On satisfaction of the required qualification, experience and competency in the candidate, the company issues a ‘letter of intent’. As per the law says, mere intention to do something, is not binding on the parties involved. Implying that, the agreement is not enforceable in the court of law, in the event of eventuality, say if the candidate does not join or if the employer on or before the date of joining dissolves the said position.

Therefore, letter of Intent is basically a document illustrating the willingness of the employer to hire the candidate but may or may not turn into successful hiring. This is generally practiced by the firms who are having water-tight and fierce competitors in the market. Generally, it does not carry any compensation/emolument data.

Process #5. Acceptance by the Candidate:

The candidate must show in principle agreement and willingness towards the offer made by the company to further continue the process.

Process #6. Issue of Offer Letter:

The company then issues an offer letter which has Contract Act 1872 details of the position, compensation, benefits etc., that is being offered to the when one p-^ makes a candidate. The basic terms and conditions of employment are also documented, proposal or offer and the as per the Contract Act, in offer there is definite intention to enter into legally other party accepts it then binding relationship.

Offer involves expression of interest by one party to the it is an agreement. Another, to do or not to do something (Excluding acts of impossible nature or acts agreement enforceable which are void ab initio). In an offer letter, the terms of offer are un-ambiguous by law is a contract, and definite, with intention to create a legal relationship.

Process #7. Acceptance of Offer by the Candidate:

The candidate’s acceptance of the offer is again necessary to continue the process. The acceptance may be preceded by some negotiations between the candidate and the company, usually related to salary-aspects. The length and degree of negotiations depends upon the expectations of the candidate and flexibility of the company.

Process #8. Medical Test:

Upon acceptance of the offer by the candidate, the companies arrange for a medical examination of the candidate by a registered medical practitioner to ensure the medical fitness of the candidate, especially with regard to the mental and physical demands of the job.

Process #9. Reference Check:

Background verification or reference checks are usually done by the company to prevent the chances of having wrong hires on board.

Process #10. Issue of Appointment Letter:

On finding the candidate medically fit and upon ascertaining the correctness of the claims made by the candidate during the process of employment about his qualification, experience, reasons for leaving past organizations etc., the company issue appointment letter to the candidate.

Generally, the appointment letter is issued to the candidate on the day of joining. Appointment letter is basically, a form of contract between the parties involved viz. employer & employee and involves offer + acceptance + enforceability by the law. Hence appointment letter qualifies to be a contract.

Process #11. On-Boarding and Induction:

The new hire is put through a planned on- boarding and induction phase to acquaint him/her about the company, its stakeholders, supervisor, team-members etc.